Vince McMahon initially liked the change from The Undertaker to the American Badass in 2000. Still, Mark Calaway believes that for Vince McMahon, there was no replacing the original character.
The Undertaker debuted as "The American Badass" at WWE Judgment Day 2000. He would remain a variation of that character until WWE Survivor Series 2003, when he was buried alive by his brother Kane.
While Undertaker spent three-and-a-half years as that iteration of his character, ultimately, it is considered a slight detour in his 30-year career with WWE as "The Phenom."
Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Undertaker says that he believes for Vince McMahon, nothing will ever top "The Deadman" and that if McMahon had his way, Undertaker would still be out there doing his thing today.
"He liked it, I think, initially, just for the sake of change and everything," said Undertaker. "No, I mean, he loved his Undertaker, man. His old-school Undertaker. He never envisioned me leaving, you know, retiring. If it would have been up to him, I'd still be out there, at least Chokeslamming somebody now and then. I just don't think he ever thought the day would come where I would say, 'Yeah, I'm done.'"
In the past, Vince McMahon has stated that The Undertaker is his favorite Superstar in WWE history because of his loyalty to the brand. However, his first impression of Calaway wasn't as glowing.
Elsewhere in this interview, the Undertaker spoke about why he doesn't feel he will ever bring back the original iteration of his character now that he has officially retired. Read more here.
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